Monsters
by Sarahann5.5
Summary: Alice had spent most of her life in darkness. She thought no-one cared. She didn't know a vampire was watching over her. He took her from the darkness, into his home and into his life. He thought he'd saved her from the monsters but Alice is adamant; "The Monsters are coming".
1. Prolouge

Jasper liked to think no one knew where he was going, when in reality they all knew. They knew that when he left for days at a time he was heading south to Mississippi, to the asylum that had been left in the dark ages. They knew he was watching the poor little 'crazy' girl.

They knew, but they didn't mention it. It was hard sometimes, especially for Rosalie, she had to hold her tongue, hold her sarcastic comments in. One human in the family was bad enough, but two? Bella had made herself right at home but at least this other girl was behind bars

Jasper couldn't help himself. There was something about the girl. Something drew him in. He knew he shouldn't intervene in the human's lives, hell he'd given Edward enough flack over Bella, but he wasn't intervening, not really. He was only watching her. Testing himself. That's what he told himself. He was getting better around the humans at school; he could go longer without hunting now too.

"The asylum had not moved with the times. The world had grown up and moved forwards without it. The 'treatments' they used there were barbaric, the staff there were monstrous. The world had forgotten about the small town in Mississippi, they'd forgotten or they just didn't.

Alice cared.

It was Alice's life.

She was stuck in that hellhole. She was tortured daily, she was starved, mocked, beat, left in the darkness days on end. No one cared for Alice. She was lost to the world and she had started to lose herself. 


	2. Chapter 1

Alice lurched from her sleep.

The dreams that plagued her were back.

The creatures were coming for her. Pale skin. Red eyes.

"Just a dream." She muttered sitting up. Her back ached from the cold, hard floor. Everything ached.

The room was dark, it was always dark. It could have been midday or midnight and she'd never have known. She had no routine. No sense of time. The only break in her isolation was the men who came to beat her.

She rose slowly to her feet and pulled her scruffy smock down as far as it would go. The material was dirty and itchy and it didn't do much to keep the chill off her bones.

She relieved herself in the corner then sunk back onto the floor. That corner was starting to stink. The men sometimes came in and hosed it, and her, down if they were feeling generous. They'd not felt generous in a long time.

She lay on her front and grabbed the stone she'd been using to scratch at the wall. She'd been at it for years and had hardly made a dent in the solid rock. She knew the thought of escape was fruitless but it gave her something to do. Stopped her from losing herself completely.

"Attention!"

She knew that voice. It belonged to one of the worst men. Sadistic. Cruel.

"Up up up!"

Dropping the stone, Alice got to her feet. It would be better for her if she did as she was told.

"Well good morning sunshine."

In the faint light that spilled through the now open door she could see the rope he'd brought with him. He needn't tie her up. Where would she go? What would she do? She never fought back. There was no point.

"You know what to do."

And she did. She had done it all her life.

She turned to the wall and put her hands behind her back. When she felt the rope burn against her wrists she turned back to face him.

His large hand stroked over her cheek, through her hair and down her body.

"There's a good girl." His breath was warm as it blew across her face. It was vile. "I thought we had turned a corner girl? I thought you were better." He shook his head slowly. "I heard you last night. Monsters? There are no monsters."

One was stood right in front of her, unbuckling his belt.

She kept her mouth shut. Nothing she would say or do could stop what was about to happen.

She cursed herself silently. She had started to sleep with part of her blanket wedged in her mouth to stop herself shouting out. It obviously hadn't worked.

The first blow was across her shins. The whip sound of the belt came first then the searing pain.

The blows moved up her body. The back of her knees, the tops of her thighs, her low back, her stomach, her breasts, her shoulders and finally, across her face.

She managed to stay standing. It would hurt worse on the floor. She could feel the warm trickle of blood running down her where the belt had cut into her skin.

"There." Slap. "Are." Slap. "No." Slap. "Monsters!" And one last blow against her backside.

"Crazy bitch." He muttered as he left.

Once back in darkness Alice sunk onto the floor. The rope around her wrists and loosened and she managed to shake it off.

"Crazy bitch." She muttered to herself. "Crazy fucking bitch." Her hands went to her face and she let out a sob into them.

Time passed. She wasn't sure how long but her head hurt from crying and her newest sores weren't burning any longer, more of a dull ache. The pain would be worst in the morning. She knew from experience.

The door to her cell slid open and before she had time to see who it was it was closed again.

A feeling of being watched swept over Alice. She got this often. It was just her mind. That's what she told herself. After all she was just a crazy bitch.

* * *

Jasper stood in the corner of the cell, furthest away from Alice. He knew she couldn't see too far in front of her. The darkness was all consuming to her. He could see easily enough though.

He could see the welts over her pale skin. He could see the dried blood in streaks down her body. He could see the tear tracks down her grubby face.

She looked around her cell, her eyes wide in the darkness. She stated right at him but she didn't see.

He would go to her when she slept. He would check her wounds. He wanted to do more, he wanted to save her but he couldn't intervene. It was a human's world and he had no right in it.

It didn't take long for Alice to doze off. He gave it another hour until her breathing was slow and steady before he went to her.

Her wounds were deep but they were clean for now. No sign of infection in any of the old ones. He crushed antibiotics into the measly amount of food she got to cover any infections when she got them.

He sat by her most of the night. Listening to her steady breathing, her soft murmurings. Sometimes she shouted out in her sleep or cried out. Always about the monsters, but that night she slept soundly.

* * *

Dawn was close and he knew he had to leave. He would need to hunt soon.

He slid silently from the cell and was almost out of the grounds when he heard them.

"Killing her? That girl in cell 6? The little one?"

"Yeah I heard Sarge is doing it himself. She's been here too long. We have shiny new toys."

Jasper wheeled around. They were talking about Alice. They were talking about killing Alice.

Not on his watch.

Before he had time to think of the consequences he was back in Alice's cell. He wrapped the thin blanket around her and carried her from the room.

Alice's eyes flew open at the sudden movement. She stared up at the man holding her. She hadn't seen him before but somehow he seemed familiar.

"You're safe with me." He muttered.

He went from her mind the second they were outside. It was lightness like she had never seen before. She turned her head and stared at the trees as they passed, faster and faster until they were a green blur.

The sounds, the smells, it was more that she had ever known. She tried to keep her eyes open but they were traveling too fast, the wind was whipping her face and her eyes stung. She closed them and focused on the sounds.

Jasper slowed when they were well outside of Mississippi. Alice had grown still in his arms. She'd dosed off again. Sensory overload probably.

She hadn't said anything to him. Hadn't questioned anything. Just stared in wonder at the world around her until the wind got too strong and her eyes closed.

* * *

The large house loomed through the trees.

Home.

Alice had stayed quite the whole trip. He could feel the fear from her, fear yes but wonder too. She hardly looked at him; she only had eyes for their surroundings.

"We're here now." He set her down carefully and had to support her as her legs wobbled. When she seemed steady he let her go and walked up to the front door.

She stayed where she was, her arms tight around herself, staring back at the trees from which they'd come.

"Alice." She glanced back to him. "You're safe here, I swear it." He held out his hand.

Her name sounded odd coming from him. She heard it rarely and it was usually followed by a slap.

Still she said nothing. Still she didn't move.

He took a step back towards her and she flinched back. "I won't hurt you." He assured her.

The door opened behind him and he turned to see Emmett's smug face.

"Oh, you are in the shit now."


	3. Chapter 2

Carlisle was stood at the head of the table; his children were dotted around it. They had had many a meetings here.

Esme had taken the human girl upstairs. She'd not spoken a word. She was timid as a mouse.

"Why did you bring her here?" Rosalie demanded.

Jasper glared at his blonde sister. "They were going to kill her!" he exclaimed.

"And?" Rosalie shrugged her slender shoulders. "One more dead human. So what?"

Jasper lunged for her but Edward grabbed him by the wrist. "Don't." He warned. "It isn't worth it."

He felt for Jasper. He understood what it was like to fall for a human, even if Jasper wouldn't admit to himself that that was what had happened.

"I couldn't just let them kill her." Jasper sighed. "I already let them do too much to her." He was disgusted with himself after seeing the way Esme looked at Alice. Her wounds were worse than he allowed himself to believe. She was skinnier, sicker than he let himself see.

"She can't stay. One human is bad enough." Rosalie threw a glare in Edward's direction earning a growl from him. "What if she exposes us?"

"She hasn't got a clue Rosalie." Jasper insisted. "She doesn't know anything. She's been in that asylum over half her life. And besides, who would she tell? She knows no-one."

Rosalie bit back her argument and gave up with a shrug of her shoulders. "I want nothing to do with her." She muttered on her way out of the dining room.

Carlisle watched her go, shortly followed by Emmett before looking back to Jasper. "I won't see her out on the streets." He said. Esme was smitten with the girl, that woman was born to be a Mother. "You're to be responsible for her Jasper. What happens is down to you."

* * *

Alice sat in the centre of the large bed. The woman was perched on the edge of it, watching her. She'd given her clothes to change into, something softer and warmer. They were too big for her but they were better than the sack she wore before.

Thousands of thoughts were running through her head. She didn't know where she was or what was happening. It was all knew. She hadn't seen the outside world in years. She hadn't been out of that cell since she was 7 years old, that was over ten years ago.

"What's your name?" Esme asked gently. "I'm Esme." She introduced herself. She knew the girls name but she wanted to get her speaking.

The girl just shrugged her shoulders, staring down at her knees.

"Is it Alice?" she pressed. No verbal reply, just a small nod. "That's a lovely name."

She moved closer to the girl but stopped when she flinched. "You are safe here." She promised. "No-one will hurt you anymore. I am sorry for what those men did to you." She was covered in scars, old and new. "Are you tired?"

She was, she always was, but again she just shrugged.

"Here." Esme pulled back the blankets. "Sleep." She encouraged.

Slowly Alice moved to the head of the bed. She always did as she was told. She knew the consequences if she didn't. She climbed under the blankets and closed her eyes when Esme pulled them up over her.

She was asleep in minutes. She had never felt a comfier bed.

The quicker the sleep came though, the quicker the dreams did.

* * *

 _They came out of the darkness. It was their red eyes she saw first. Red eyes that never left her, that followed her no matter how fast she ran or where she went._

 _"No don't." she moaned but they continued to advance on her._

 _One long, milk white arm reached out, long, lean fingers stretching towards her. She felt the icy cold when it made contact._

* * *

Screaming, she lurched upwards, kicking the covers off her.

"Hey hey." Jasper was by her side in seconds. "You're okay." He touched her hand.

The icy cold was back. She yanked her hand away and backed up in the bed. "No don't." she whined.

It wasn't the monsters from her nightmares. He didn't have red eyes, his were liquid gold. He was the man who rescued her.

"What was it?" Jasper asked gently, keeping his hands still, not wanting to frighten her further.

"The monsters." She mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face. "They're coming for me."

"They're not. You're not in that place anymore. You are safe here."

She sighed and dropped her hands. He didn't understand. How could he? He hadn't seen the monsters.

"There are no monsters here." Jasper said quietly. Not the type she knew anyway. "We're family, you are family now."

Alice looked back up to him, the bags under her eyes making her dark eyes darker. "No." she insisted. "The monsters are coming."


	4. Chapter 3

**_I realise I haven't really introduced myself or said anything about this story! I'm Sarah, I've wrote two fics previously but that was many years ago, they're still on here if you fancy a read. I've not wrote in a long time so bear with me whilst I get back into it. I hope you are enjoying this fic so far, I am enjoying writing it. I would love to hear your reviews! Many thanks!_**

* * *

Alice sat in the centre of a huge bathtub. The warm, bubbly water came up to her chest. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. The water beneath the bubbles had turned grimy grey colour.

"Are you okay in there?" Esme called softly through the door. "Need any help?"

She looked back towards the door and then down to the water. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. The last wash she'd had was a brushing down with an icy cold hosepipe. "Um…" she paused. "Yes. Help."

The door opened slowly as Esme entered. "It's just me." She smiled gently as she approached the tub.

The girl was startling thin. Her shoulder blades pierced through her back and each notch in her spine was visible.

"Here's the soap." She took it from the side and handed it to her but Alice didn't take it. "Do you want me to?" She asked and when Alice nodded she rubbed the soap gently over her back. "Tell me if I'm hurting." She hadn't had much experience with humans; she didn't know her own strength.

Alice tensed at the touch but slowly relaxed, it wasn't painful, she wasn't hurting, if anything it felt nice, she wasn't used to a gentle touch.

"Let's do your hair shall we?" Esme smiled setting the soap aside after she had finished washing her. She took the shampoo from the side and rubbed it gently into her hair. It was matted together in places so she ensured she applied liberal amounts of conditioner.

"All done." Esme held out a large white towel and wrapped it around Alice when she stood into it. "Lets get you dressed." She led her back into the bedroom and showed her the clothes she'd bought earlier in the day whilst Alice slept again. "These might fit you a bit better."

Alice held the towel around herself and stared in wonder at the clothes. She'd never seen so many nice things. "For me?" she said quietly approaching the bed and stroking her fingers over the soft material of one of the dresses. "Thank you."

"You are more than welcome." Esme smiled at the look on the girls face, something close to happiness. "I'll leave you to dress."

When the door closed, Alice dropped the towel and chose some underwear for herself then the soft pink dress. She stroked her hands down her sides and smile. A bath and a new set of clothes did wonders for her, she felt clean for once in a long time.

She placed the towel back in the bathroom then ventured out onto the landing. Her confidence was improving, it'd been 24 hours and she hadn't had a beating. These people had been nothing but kind to her.

Soft music tinkled along the landing and she followed the sound. It was coming from a room at the end of the hall. The door opened onto a large room, the far wall was covered in floor to ceiling windows and through that was a vast sea of green.

A piano sat in the centre of the room and an auburn headed man sat at the piano, tinkling the keys.

The music stopped when she entered. "Oh." She paused. "I'm sorry." She turned back towards the door.

"No no." Edward turned and smiled. "You look better."

She nodded. "I feel it." She admitted. "That lady is nice." She wondered where she had gone; it was her she had left to look for, before the music distracted her.

"Esme." Edward smiled. "She is. A wonderful Mother." He said sincerely, he had the upmost respect for Esme and for Carlisle; it cannot have been easy being the head of the Cullen household. They were all strong personalities and they clashed often, mostly Rosalie with everyone, but he did understand her frustrations at times. "She's down stairs, do you want me to take you?"

Alice nodded. "Please." She stepped back out onto the landing. The man passed her and she followed him back past the room she had been staying in then down two flights of stairs.

It really was an impressive house. True, Alice didn't have much to compare it with and anything would be incredible compared to the dingy pit of her cell, but the size of the house and the décor were breath taking.

"Someone was looking for you." Edward announced leading Alice through to the living room.

Esme rose to her feet and smiled back to the girl. "You look lovely." She commented. At her compliment Alice smiled and trailed her fingers back down the sides of her dress.

"Thank you for my clothes."

"It isn't a bother." Esme took the girl's hand and lead her to the sofa. "Take a seat, you must be starving. I'll get you some lunch.

Esme was joined in the kitchen by Jasper.

"How is she?" Jasper glanced back through to the lounge, at Alice sat in the centre of the sofa. "She looks happier."

Esme nodded. "A bath can do wonders for the soul." She said. "Now we need to feed her up." She said. "I was thinking about education for her also, I don't know how much she knows.

Jasper watched as Esme whipped up a meal for Alice, human food was not appetizing to him at all. "Probably not a lot." He said. "She's been there since she was a child."

"We could tutor her." She suggested. "Until she knows the basics then it might be good for her to integrate with students of her own age at school. I'm sure her and Bella will get on very well."

Jasper wasn't sure if Alice was ready or would ever be ready for school. Most of her life had been taken away from her. Was she too damaged to integrate back into normal society? But then again what sort of life would she have with a group of vampires? He wanted her to have the best opportunities available but that would take a lot of work. He was willing to put the effort in though.

"We'll see." Was all he said.

Once Esme had prepared lunch, Jasper took the plate. "May I?" he carried it through to the lounge and set it on the table in front of Alice. "Enjoy."

She looked at him warily but when she caught sight of Esme smiling encouragingly behind him she started to eat.

"We'll get you fighting fit in no time." Jasper said. "Things will get better now Alice. I promise. You are safe here."

She nodded slowly, her mouth full of bread. She felt safe, safer than she had ever remembered feeling but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, something was wrong. The monsters still loomed in the back of her mind, their red eyes searing into her. They were becoming clearer. They were getting closer.

What if this wasn't the safe haven she was promised?


End file.
